Indian skipper Rohit Sharma made four changes to the playing eleven for the Rajkot Test against England. As Mohammed Siraj returned for the third Test after a one-game break, Mukesh Kumar was dropped and released from the squad. While India will lock horns with Ben Stokes-led England, Mukesh will play in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023-24 for Bengal against Bihar at Eden Gardens, Kolkata starting February 16.
“Mr Mukesh Kumar has been released from the India squad for the third Test against England in Rajkot. He will join his Ranji Trophy team, Bengal, for the team's next fixture before linking up with Team India in Ranchi,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement on February 15.
In the previous Test, Mukesh went for 44 runs in the seven overs he bowled in the first innings. In the second innings, he was expensive with the new ball again. He managed to dismiss tailender Shoaib Bashir to open his account.
Mukesh will rejoin the Indian squad when they travel to Ranchi for the fourth Test.
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel got their debut caps. Also, Ravindra Jadeja returned to the side after recovering from hamstring injury. He replaced Axar Patel in the side.
Meanwhile, Bengal are already out of the quarterfinal race. They have managed to win just one out of six matches whereas three ended in a draw. Their only win came against Assam. The Manoj Tiwary-led side beat Assam by an innings and 162 runs. In the previous game of Elite Group B, they were handed a 109-run defeat by Kerala.
Playing XIs for Rajkot Test
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashavsi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
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